Design and Development
In January 1914, designer Gustave Delage joined the Société Anonyme des Etablissements Nieuport, and started to design the series of aircraft that made him and the company famous. The first of these was the Nieuport 10, originally designed to compete in the Gordon Bennett Trophy race of 1914. World War I caused this contest to be cancelled, and the type was developed as a military two seat reconnaissance aircraft that entered service in 1915.
The type featured a distinctive "V" strut layout. The lower wing was much smaller in area than the upper wing, and the concept was intended to combine the strength of the biplane's wire braced wing cell with the good visibility of the parasol monoplane.
Many were converted or built as single seat fighters by covering the front cockpit, and adding an upward firing Lewis machine gun to the center section of the top wing. In this form, the type was used as a fighter.
Two types were developed from the Nieuport 10 - the Nieuport 11 Bébé - a smaller aircraft, designed from the outset as a single seater, and the Nieuport 12 - a more powerful two-seater.
Read more about this topic: Nieuport 10
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